D.J. King | Winger

Latest News

Recent News

The Washington Capitals demoted D.J. King to the AHL a few days after he cleared waivers.

King has only played one game this season and hasn't seen much NHL action since playing 61 games with the St. Louis Blues in 2007-08. He isn't really useful for much beyond penalty minutes anyway, so it's hard to see him as a factor even on a very deep fantasy team. Sun, Nov 6, 2011 03:14:00 PM

King’s lone action this season was Oct. 15 against Ottawa. The 27-year-old has stated his desire to play and leave D.C. if it means receiving ice time elsewhere. King, who could be sent to Hershey (AHL), played only 29 games at the NHL level the previous three seasons thanks to injuries and being a healthy scratch. Tue, Nov 1, 2011 12:42:00 PM

D.J. King has been placed on waivers after requesting that the Washington Capitals move him.

King has only played in one game with the Capitals this season and he's hoping that there's another NHL team out there that will use him more. "I need to play hockey," King said. "It is what it is. If I want to prolong my career in the NHL I’ve got to play hockey and no one can prolong their career if they’re only playing 15 games a year." The Capitals might keep him on their active roster if he successfully clears waivers. For what it's worth, Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau doesn't blame King for making the request. We'll keep you posted. Mon, Oct 31, 2011 03:27:00 PM

Depth Charts

Nicklas Backstrom still hasn't gotten over Washington's Game 7 loss to Pittsburgh in the second round of the playoffs.

The Caps found themselves down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series against the rivals, but they managed to fight back to tie the series at three. Unfortunately, things didn't end well for them in that do-or-die game. "I think that when it comes to the playoffs it shouldn't be about individuals," Backstrom said. "It should be about the team and how we lose as a team. How we acted in Game 7, I think that's telling everything. They absolutely outplayed us in Game 7 at home. That shouldn't be the case."

Evgeny Kuznetsov doesn't agree with people who think the Capitals are a bad team.

Washington has won back-to-back Presidents' Trophies, but they've failed to reach the conference final in the Alex Ovechkin era. "I don't like when people say we're a bad team right now," Kuznetsov said. "That's bull to me. It's not about the names. It's about the guys when they come together." The Capitals have lost some key players like Marcus Johansson, Justin Williams and Nate Schmidt, but they also managed to re-sign Kuznetsov to an eight-year, $62.4 million deal. They should remain one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and in the entire NHL.

Eller had Alex Ovechkin on his wing and that never hurts as he set up Ovie's insurance goal. Eller has five assists in 11 games during the playoffs and has not been a bad selection in playoff pools thus far.

The 31-year-old who has one more year on his contract, had 13 goals and 30 points with a plus-20 rating this past season and gave the Capitals some depth scoring as a bottom-six forward. He was pointless in 13 playoff games and that did not bode well for Washington who once again were bounced from the playoffs in the second round. Look for 25-30 points next season from Beagle.

The Washington Capitals have signed Chandler Stephenson to a two-year contract.

Stephenson's deal is two-way in the first season with him having the potential to earn $650,000 at the NHL level or $125,000 in the minors. For the second season it turns into a one-way contract, which means he'll make $650,000 in 2018-19 regardless of what level he's playing in. He had 10 goals and 38 points in 72 AHL contests last season. The 23-year-old has appeared in 13 career NHL games, but doesn't have a point at that level.

Alex Ovechkin remains hopeful that he will get the opportunity to represent Russia at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Ovechkin told Russia's Sport-Express that there have been no changes in his status and he hasn't spoken to other NHLers about their intentions for the Olympics. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman does not expect any of the league's players to participate in the tournament. Ovechkin and other NHLers might be barred from going, but there hasn't been any talk about what the repercussions could be.

The Washington Capitals have acquired Tyler Graovac from the Minnesota Wild for a fifth-round pick in 2018.

Washington needed to acquire one more player who met the minimum requirements for the expansion draft or they would have had to expose two of Lars Eller, Tom Wilson or Jay Beagle. Graovac had seven goals and two assists in 52 games with Minnesota this season. Regardless of where he plays next season, he won't have any fantasy value.

Jakub Vrana is not guaranteed to have a roster spot with the Capitals in 2017-18, according to GM Brian MacLellan.

"He definitely has NHL speed, [an] NHL shot, NHL goal-scoring ability. We still project him as a top-six guy, but he's going to have to learn to play the complete game," said MacLellan. "And that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to develop him into a 200-foot player down there versus when he comes up here." Vrana recorded three goals and three assists in 21 appearances with Washington last season. He had 36 points in 49 AHL contests before going pointless in seven playoff outings.

Nathan Walker could become the first Australian to play in an NHL game this season.

Walker has a chance to claim a roster spot out of training camp on the fourth line. He had 11 goals and 23 points in 58 games with the Hershey Bears of the AHL last year. Walker also plays with an edge and described himself as a "pest."

The Washington Capitals have signed T.J. Oshie to an eight-year, $46 million contract extension.

That works out to a $5.75 million annual cap hit, which is on the low end of what we thought he would get, but presumably the Capitals got him to agree to a lower AAV in exchange for a longer contract. In that regard this deal might hurt Washington in the long-term as Oshie will turn 31 in December. For now though his continued presence will be big for the Capitals as he's been a key member of the squad. He's breached the 50-point mark in each of his last four seasons and had 33 goals and 56 points in 68 contests in 2016-17.

The Washington Capitals have inked Andre Burakovsky to a two-year, $6 million contract.

Burakovsky was a restricted free agent this summer after completing his entry-level contract. A bridge deal made a lot of sense here as Burakovsky has shown promise, but he hasn't reached the 40-point mark in a season yet. The 2017-18 campaign could be where that changes though as he should get an opportunity to serve as a top-six forward.

Tom Wilson is fine after leaving practice early on Tuesday, according to coach Barry Trotz.

He was hit in the foot with a shot and left the session early. Wilson had three goals and 12 penalty minutes in six games against Toronto in Round 1 of the postseason. He should be available for Game 1 versus Pittsburgh on Thursday.

The Washington Capitals are betting on the idea that Devante Smith-Pelly can bounce back.

Smith-Pelly had a lot of upside at one point, but the 25-year-old hasn't developed as hoped and ended up with just four goals and nine points in 53 games with New Jersey las season. The Devils decided to buy out the final season of his two-year, $2.6 million contract, which led to Washington signing him to a two-way contract. "I think there's some untapped potential," Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said to reporters in a conference call Monday. "I think maybe conditioning played a factor in some of it. I think we're going to work with him to see if we can get a little bit of that back and create a player that we can use." It's an awfully low-risk gamble for Washington and one that might pay off nicely.

Matt Niskanen insisted that there was no intent to injure when he cross-checked Sidney Crosby in the back of the head during Monday's contest.

Niskanen received a five-minute major and game misconduct while Crosby was unable to continue playing. "It wasn’t intentional," Niskanen said. "I’ve seen the replay. In super slowmo, it looks really bad. I caught him high. He’s coming across trying to score. As he’s doing that, he’s getting lower and lower. And when it’s happening that fast, you know, my stick and his head collided. I wasn’t extending, trying to hit him in the head." Niskanen added that he wasn't trying to crosscheck Crosby with "a serious amount of force." Niskanen won't be suspended, so he's expected to be in the lineup for Game 4.

Dmitry Orlov has inked a six-year, $30.6 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals.

Orlov was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1. He had six goals and 33 points in 82 games while averaging 19:32 minutes last season. He'll celebrate his 26th birthday in July so he might not have much upside left, but if all he does is maintain his current level then he'll look pretty reasonable with his $5.1 million annual cap hit.

Taylor Chorney will be a healthy scratch in Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chorney played in just 18 games during the regular season and he piled up one goal and four assists. He hasn't played in a playoff game in 2017. Paul Carey and Chandler Stephenson will also watch from the press box.

Hershey coach Troy Mann feels Christian Djoos can make the jump to the NHL this campaign.

"I think that Djoos is a perfect candidate when you start looking at the [openings on] defense," Mann said. "No. 1, he's a great puck mover. You've really got to come to a hockey game and watch him from up top to appreciate his skill set, and his ability to break pucks out. I think the NHL in the last couple of years has certainly gone in a different direction. I don't think you can have too many puck movers on your team, and certainly that's something he can do." Mann added that Djoos' lack of size is unlikely to be an issue because of the defenseman's high hockey IQ and his ability to avoid the forecheck. Djoos amassed 13 goals and 45 assists in 66 minor-league games last season. He doesn't have any NHL experience yet, but that could change in 2017-18.

"He looks like an NHLer," Hershey coach Troy Mann said. "He's got that demeanor out there. He has that size and the physical tools to play at the NHL level. Certainly his consistency is something we've worked on the last two seasons." Bowey skated in just 34 games for the Bears last season, as he missed a large chunk of the year because of a lacerated ankle tendon, but he played well when he was healthy. The 22-year-old blueliner will compete with Christian Djoos, Aaron Ness, Tyler Lewington and Lucas Johansen for a roster spot at training camp.

Washington GM Brian MacLellan is confident that Lucas Johansen will be a strong contributor at the NHL level.

"I really like Lucas Johansen, and whether it's now or six months from now or a year from now, I think he's going to be a factor," MacLellan said. There is a chance he could earn a roster spot with the Capitals out of training camp. If Johansen doesn't make the team then he could be one of the first call-ups in 2017-18 if Washington needs a defenseman.

Philipp Grubauer has signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals.

That's double Grubauer's cap hit from the previous two seasons. He posted a 2.04 GAA and .926 save percentage last season, but he was limited to 24 games due to the presence of Braden Holtby. With Holtby set to be the Capitals' starter for the foreseeable future, Grubauer is likely to eventually leave Washington either via free agency or a trade. For now though, the Capitals have a superb tandem.